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This started as a list of acoustic or acoustic-based blues artists with
an informed (mostly) guess at the make of the instruments they used
during the “Acoustic Era”, i.e. prior to The Second World War. I have
had a huge amount of feedback (for which many thanks to all you clever,
knowledgeable people) about the original list and so I have expanded it
to cover later artists (including some Gospel), but I still try restrict
it to acoustic instruments, give or take the odd added pickup. The
information is mostly gathered from repros. of old photographs or
stories told by their contemporaries, so, since the photos were not
always good, the reproductions were not always accurate and memories
were not always reliable, there will be some mistakes in the list. Also,
please bear in mind that any one singer would have used several
instruments in his career and that he could have borrowed a guitar for
the photo session (e.g. the recently found Robert Johnson photo where he
holds an unplayable “prop” guitar). Any further information to add to
the list, to correct the dodgy bits (I know where they are - honest!) or
to fill in holes would be much appreciated. There is a note at the end
about Stella guitars.

1

Louis Allen
– Kay.

2

Pink
Anderson (p) – Harmony, Gibson B-25, J-50, Martin 0-18.

3

Kokomo
Arnold – reportedly a Martin, but it’s a good single cone brass National
on the records, according to my ears. Document Records supreme Gary
Atkinson reports the existence of 2 photos of Arnold; one depicts him
with a standard unidentified guitar and the second has him holding a
National Model O, which fits my theory.

Willie Brown
– Stella for the May 1930 recordings; apparently this was the make he
preferred.

23

Bumble Bee
Slim – National Model O.

24

R.L.
Burnside – Martin D-28, Japanese Epiphone dreadnaught.

25

Joe
Callicott – Harmony Archtop and H1203 flat-top.

26

Gus Cannon –
Orpheum & 1920s Gretsch Broadkaster banjos. Ashley Thompson from his
Jug-Stompers played a Stella and a 1961 Gibson LG-2 in a later reunion
photo.

27

Bo Carter –
National Style N. Gary Atkinson of the wonderful Document Records has a
1930 Style N which he and Bob Brozman consider to be a possibly Bo
Carter’s guitar as shown in the earlier (mid-30s)of the two photos that
we know of. The guitar has longer head slots than usual, no neck binding
and has a nickel-silver back with a copper front to the body, giving it
a unique tonal quality very similar to that on Bo’s recordings of the
time.

28

Catiron –
Harmony parlour size.

29

Sam Chatmon
– Gibson L-4, Harmony Sovereign H1203.

30

Sam Collins
– Stella.

31

Elizabeth
Cotten –Mike Seeger says “Ms. Cotton played a Stella when she was young;
then, about 1960, a mid-century Martin D-18; and eventually, from the
late 1960s onward, her favourite 00-18 Martin”. She was also pictured
with 000-18, D-28 and a Gibson J-45.

Blind Gary
Davis – National Duolian then a Washburn and various Gibsons including
J200s, B45-12s, Hummingbirds, a Southern Jumbo, a J-50; also a Bozo
12-string and briefly, a 6-string. There are photos of him with a Yamaha
dreadnaught and a Martin D-28.

Son House –
National Duolian, Triolian or Model O. He favoured Stellas early on and
said that he used one for the 1930 recording session; there is a 1960s
photo of him holding one, but it was on loan; there is also a late
picture of him holding an early 20s Gibson L-1.

54

Peg Leg
Howell – Stellas. Henry Williams, a member of his “Gang” also played a
Stella.

Elmore James
– Kay dreadnaught with added electrics (specifically DeArmond Rhythm
Chief Model 1000, the actual pickup he uses on most/all of his
recordings, mounted on the guitar top between bridge and soundhole, with
the DeArmond vol./tone control box hanging down from the bridge. He also
experimented with pickups attached over the soundhole. A DeArmond
soundhole pickup is present on the November 1959 pictures, not there in
1957 pictures and gone by December 1959 pictures. The Rhythm Chief
pickup is present in ALL photos !!). Thanks to “Snakehips” O’Donnell for
that.

64

Homesick
James – Stella.

65

Skip James –
Gibson J-185, J-45, Martin D-18, D-28 in the sixties. The guitar used in
the 1931 session is now generally accepted to have been a Stella
12-string strung as a six-string.

Robert
Johnson – 1928 Gibson L-1, Kalamazoo KG-14 (Johnny Shines referred to
Johnson’s last guitar as a “big old Kalamazoo”). He was also reputed to
have played Stellas and a brass National with the high E string doubled
for extra volume. A new picture has surfaced, which is claimed (and I’m
inclined to believe it) to show R.J. and Johnny Shines resplendent in
cool new threads with Bob clutching yet another guitar. I think that
this box was the product of the Regal factory, but I don’t know the
actual name on the head; it’s obvious that the thing is a wreck with no
bridge, strings and nearly no machines. If you wish to see this picture,
it’s on the Vanity Fair website, however incongruous it may seem.

72

Tommy
Johnson – a Stella, a Washburn, a Martin and a Gibson; also “many cheap
guitars” (c.f. the excellent “Tommy Johnson” – David Evans 1971).

73

Blind Willie
Johnson – a Stella in the picture (poss. taken 1927), but Pillie Bolling
borrowed his Washburn in Atlanta 1930.

74

Dennis
“Little Hat” Jones – Harmony Archtop (from c.1950).

75

McKinney
Jones – Harmony Sonata Superior archtop with added pickup.

76

Moody Jones
– Martin 00-28.

77

Charlie
Jordan – I don’t know what his guitar is (the one with all the pearl
dots).

78

Junior
Kimbrough – Yamaha dreadnaught.

79

B.B. King –
there is a very early photo of him with a well-worn acoustic guitar of
strange appearance, possibly with a resonator. Does anybody know what
this machine was? Also “a red Stella”, a Gibson L-30 with added
electrics (The Original “Lucille” was one of these) and a J-45.

80

Freddie King –
Silvertone “Roy Rogers” acoustic (first guitar).

81

Eddie
Kirkland – National (Pete Lowry).

82

Furry Lewis
– Stellas, Martin 0-18 in the early ‘60s, an Epiphone Texan and a Gibson
B-25N in the late 1960s.

83

Leadbelly –
Stella 12-strings, one Grand Auditorium (an emergency buy for him by
John Lomax in 1935 - the one on the films and most of the photos), also
a Martin 000-18 in 1949.

Brownie
McGhee – The Martin D-18 is what he’s famous for, but, before that, he
played “an f-hole S.S. Stewart” (possibly made by Gibson), a 14-fret
National Duolian, 1938 Gibson J35 (later customised with, to the eye,
extended f/board & modified bridge), a Martin D-28, a Harmony archtop
and a Gibson J-200. He preferred Black Diamond strings with an unwound 3rd
and used steel National fingerpicks (2) and a plastic thumbpick.

97

“Sticks”
McGhee – National Trojan (1935?), Kalamazoo KG-31(?).

98

Fred
McMullen – Stella, Martin OM-28 c.1930.

99

Lil
McLintock (p) – Stella(?) in the photo, but I think that he plays a
12-string on the recordings.

Memphis Slim
– National Electric Spanish archtop (perhaps just minding it for a
friend?).

104

Lottie Merle
– “An old Stella”.

105

George
“Daddy Hot Cakes” Montgomery – Kay archtop.

106

Buddy Moss –
Gibson L-00, Kay Kraft Style C (poss. Curley Weaver’s).

107

Charlie
“Dad” Nelson – Stella 12-string.

108

Robert
Nighthawk – Stellas.

109

Hammie Nixon
– 1933 National Triolian.

110

Jack Owens –
Silvertone 12 string, Guild F-30 (poss. not his own).

111

Charlie
Patton – Stromberg-Voisinet Concert in the photo; he reportedly used a
“brown Stella with lots of fancy pearl and stuff” for some time. Patton
was also said to have used “a Gibson with a Black Top” around the time
of his last session; the guitar lasted well because of its robust
construction, although he apparently preferred Stellas for bass and
volume. It is also said that he played and destroyed the odd Washburn.

112

Ike Perkins
(Albert Ammons Rhythm Kings) – Gibson L-5; in 1936 he was photographed
holding an early Rickenbacker Frying Pan (prob. A-25), complete with
correct amplifier (these guitars had a round neck, so could be played
either as Hawaiian or Spanish). The way he held the guitar suggests that
he played it in conventional “Spanish” mode, possibly even while
standing.

113

Robert
Petway – c.1931 Sears (National) Duolian.

114

Washington Phillips – a complex double zither of
his own devising (see
http://www.angelfire.com/, Dolceola section,
for argument and mp3s).

J.D.
“Jelly-Jaw” Short (p) – Stella, Regal (Dobro) Model 37 spanish with the
resonator cover removed and the hole filled in with wood (also with a
wonderful custom harp-rack clamped to the top bout). The photo showing
this guitar was taken in 1962 when he was recorded by Sam Charters and
the guitar he used sounds like a Dobro with its resonator intact.

126

Frankie Lee
Sims – Gibson J-50.

127

Robert
Curtis Smith – Harmony Sovereign H1203.

128

Smoky Babe
(Robert Brown) – Stella 922 12-string customised as a 6-string with the
tailpiece removed and the floating bridge replaced with a fixed,
string-retainer type.

129

Spark Plug
Smith – Martin 2-17.

130

Joseph
Spence – a large Kay archtop in 1958, a 1949 Martin 00-18 by 1977.

131

Roebuck
“Pop” Staples – Kay K-44 Archtop.

132

Frank Stokes
– Harmony concert, Martin 00-28.

133

Jewell
“Babe” Stovall – Model O National c.1932, Stella.

134

Daddy
Stovepipe (Johnny Watson) – In 1924, a 9-string guitar with doubled-up
treble strings and single basses. Neil Harpe identifies this as a
Grunewald, c.1905, made in New Orleans, Harmony archtop (Conondo?).

135

Stovepipe
No. 1 – Stella (I’ve no idea what make the stovepipe was).

136

Roosevelt
Sykes – Gibson J-50 (you’d better believe it!).

137

Baby Tate –
(?) Leader jumbo.

138

Tampa Red –
1928 National Style 4 with custom engraving (sadly nickel plated, not
gold), now on its third neck at least. Custom National Electric Archtop
c.1938.

Bill Weldon
– Stella (1927). If you believe that the early picture is of Casey
Bill Weldon, then you should know that the guitar that he favoured on
the 1935 onward recordings was, almost certainly, a National Tricone
squareneck. There is a poor quality photograph of him with an electric
lap steel which I can’t identify; the photo is dated 1941, but he “went
electric” before Dec. 1938 – his last recording session.

153

Booker T
“Bukka” White (p) – National Duolians & Triolians after his first
Stella; he swapped a Gibson “in bad shape” for his first National. He
was also photographed playing a very rare 1938 National “Exploding
Palmtree” squareneck Tricone and filmed playing a Gibson J45.

Note: I realise that I’m guilty of using “Stella”
on occasions when I can’t identify the exact model of a guitar, but it
could be a Stella and it’s of that type of instrument; I’ve recently
become aware that I’m not alone in this irritating tic – some of the
most reliable of Blues artistes use “Stella” in the same way, when they
can’t remember, or never actually knew, the correct make or model that
they played, or saw played. Stella guitars were made by the Oscar
Schmidt Company of New Jersey before 1935 and by John Carner’s Stella
Company from 1935 to 1940. These were usually well made, playable and
relatively cheap instruments with good tone and projection. Harmony took
over the name in 1940 and the quality dropped considerably, although
some made under the Sovereign marque were OK. I am not good on Stella
models and so I have made some errors in identification and I certainly
have not tried to differentiate between Stellas and other brands that
were applied to Stella guitars, e.g. Sears, Galiano, Sterling, etc.. All
rather bewildering, but if you wish to be less confused, I recommend
reading Neil Harpe’s excellent “The Stella Guitar Book” available from
his website
http://www.stellaguitars.com. Also Paul
Brett’s magnificent collection of Stellas, etc. is viewable on
http://www.fret-dancer.com; his other site
http://www.paulbrettguitarist.co.uk/ has a Q&A
section where people can send pictures of their vintage guitars for
identification and valuation, also you can ask all sorts of question
regarding care and maintenance, where to buy parts etc.. Recommended!